To enjoy wine to its fullest, not only must the wine be aged for a proper amount of time, but also it must be treated properly in a variety of different ways to maintain optimal quality. Before the wine bottle is opened, the wine is typically stored in a relatively low and constant temperature dark space. After the bottle is opened, some wines can be enjoyed immediately, while others, particularly red wine, benefit from a small amount of exposure to oxygen before drinking. However, it is undesirable to have the wine exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere for too long of a period of time. Otherwise, excessive oxidation will occur destroying much of the flavor of the wine.
Due to these constraints on enjoying a bottle of wine, often individuals will resist opening a bottle of wine unless the entire bottle can be enjoyed at that time. After a bottle has been opened, there is pressure to enjoy the entire bottle of wine even after an optimal quantity of wine has already been enjoyed. Accordingly, a need exists for a convenient way to preserve wine within a bottle after the bottle has been opened.
A common prior art technique is to merely replace the cork in the wine bottle. If the wine bottle has only had a relatively small amount removed therefrom, only a small amount of oxygen is introduced into the water so that a minimum of degradation of wine within the bottle occurs. However, some degradation does still occur. As a greater amount of wine has been poured from the bottle, merely replacing the cork is an even less desirable solution. Rather, oxygen within the air that remains trapped beneath the cork is sufficient to oxidize wine within the bottle and destroy a significant portion of the flavor of the wine.
Accordingly, a need exists for a way to preserve wine or other beverages within its original bottle after the cork has been popped. Such a method would beneficially be provided in a configuration which is easy for consumers to use.